The following comments were offered by Joe Showker to the Virginia Dept. of Education in a solicitation of comments from Virginia stakeholders. These comments were in regard to the document: Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Abuse in Virginia Public Schools. This was the first draft and was accepted by the Board of Education for first review and public comment on November 18, 2010.
These comments were also submitted to the Virginia High School League.
These comments were also submitted to the Virginia High School League.
Final Review of Proposed Guidelines for the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Abuse in Virginia Public Schools This memo offers input on the Proposed Guidelines for Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and Abuse in VA Schools.
I’ve coached and/or been an athletic director for much of my 32-year teaching career. I’ve also had two daughters that were involved in high school athletics. In my current position of ITRT I’ve been involved in in-service presentations for our 1700plus staff here in Rockingham County Schools. I’ve done extensive work on social media and digital ethics across Virginia and the region. I served on the committee that created the original Virginia Guidelines for Internet Safety.
My comments support a common sense mindset in the use of digital communication between students and educational staff including coaches and after school activity sponsors. Any attempt to blame the technology, device or social media tool such as Facebook for inappropriate actions by professionals points to a lack of understanding of digital media.
The ethical USE of the tool is the key element in this discussion. Teachers that sponsor debate, vocational groups, yearbook, sports and other after school activities need to communicate with team members and students, frequently after hours. Many young teachers do not have house phones. Their cell phone is their only means of communication and in some cases, even email. Given that, I feel we cannot arbitrarily tell a coach or group sponsor he/she cannot have a student’s phone number or contact on their phone. IPods, iPads and other digital devices are also conduits for communication with parents and athletes alike.
Students communicate with their cell phone... it's wired to them. We need to be able to communicate with these digital natives where they communicate! For example, a baseball coach at my middle school told me how an athlete texted him last night alerting him that his surgery went ok. It's obvious it was important to the athlete and the coach that this communication be sent. Coach offered words of encouragement and see you at practice when you get back! After having my two daughters involved in athletics in high school, I'd say as a parent that I had no problem with my daughters communicating to their coaches via cell phone or text message. There were many times when my daughters had to be late or had medical issues. The only way to reach her coach was via cell or texting. There were many times that the coach (and I for that matter when I was coaching) communicated with athletes via email and cell phone. Coaches, teachers and administrators are highly visible in their communities and must maintain a mindset that “everything they say or do” is under scrutiny.
Use of social media such as Facebook, pictures posted and comments by public servants must reflect professional decorum and mindset. Friending students or (for that matter) minors is a risky endeavor and may present ethical quandaries of which the adult may not want to encounter. I think we DO need to provide leadership and guidelines to coaches about the nature of interactions with athletes/students via cell phones and/or email.
Here are some suggestions on guidelines. They should be in school sports guideline books for students and manuals for coaching staff on school policy.
1. Coaches should keep communications with athletes/team players ONLY to professional school/team information only. No social, no cultural or personal conversations.
2. Coaches should make it clear with their team policies to parents that this communication is acceptable for team and school items only.
3. School personal should know WHO is communicating with them by adding contact information to their contact list. There should be NO communication with "unknown" text posts or calls.
4. Text posts or calls that go beyond these guidelines should be reported to the athletic director, building administrator and parent with the understanding that they are not acceptable.
5. Teachers should make notes in coaching logs, journals, or records that team communications were sent via text/email. Teachers should use their division email service for ALL email communications to athletes or team members (as opposed to their personal email accounts or social media such as Facebook).
6. Think about whom you are communicating with and what you are saying as a professional.
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